"The question of Iran's nuclear weapons program is a test for the Security Council,

The ability of the council and the ability to deal with the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons that Iran poses is something that is going to be very important for us to track closely and that's why the President (George W. Bush) has said repeatedly no options are off the table," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters Thursday at a hastily called news conference Thursday.

"He said nuclear weapons in the hands of the Iranian government are unacceptable," added Bolton, referring to Bush. "Our preference and the course we are trying to deal with it is through the Security Council. We'll see if we are successful."

Washington's envoy explained the nature of the test begun Wednesday evening within minutes of the panel of 15 officially receiving the IAEA's 11-page report from Vienna.

Since it was written two weeks ago and governments presumably had access to it either through their own ambassadors in Vienna or from other, friendly, countries, it contained no surprises.

The permanent five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, are often referred to as the P5 or Perm Five in U.N.-speak.

Bolton said the five met late Wednesday, deciding to give their respective capitals nearly two full days to officially review the report before meeting again Friday and continuing discussion in the council next week.

"The first step will be to see how others in the Perm-Five react to the elements that are being considered and see where we go from there," Bolton said Thursday. "But I think it is a matter of time before the full council takes it up. But we don't see any reason not to make that available. I think we all feel a sense of urgency and that's certainly been communicated, but we are going to proceed in an orderly fashion as well."

After that initial meeting Wednesday, Bolton said the P5 talked about the role and reaction of the council to "the continuing Iranian violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and their safeguards agreement and the steps the council might take."

The Iranian file should have been in the council three-and-a-half years ago, he said. "We are facing continued defiance by Iran in the face of over three years of IAEA scrutiny, a continued program of denial and deception and it is important to build international pressure on Iran to adhere to its NPT obligations."

Stepping aside from details, the top U.S. envoy at the United Nations said, "Our intention is to proceed in a careful and deliberate manner ... by giving everybody a chance to consult further with their respective capitals among the P5 and then we will talk again on Friday and see where we go."

Britain's Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters Wednesday, "The United Kingdom and France indicated how we thought we now ought to respond. Colleagues will reflect on what we said and we will have other sessions to see what capitals think about it."

French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said the panel of 15's action "should be gradual. We will follow a gradual approach because what we want is Iran to go back to (uranium enrichment) suspension. The action will therefore be gradual and reversible if Iran goes back to suspension."

Russia's Ambassador Andrei Denisov said, "We discussed a possible reaction" from the council on the outcome of the Vienna meeting. But, Moscow's envoy said, he did not like the idea of giving Iran 14 days to halt its nuclear activities before the IAEA reports to the council, saying "it's a short time." He said 18 months would be a better length of time.

Denisov was reacting to a British proposed text to have the IAEA report to the council two weeks after Iran is ordered to halt its uranium enrichment.

"A consensus among the P5 would be welcome," he said. "We must stick to one common position, otherwise it doesn't fly. Hopefully we will reach agreement."

Thursday, Bolton said he saw the situation with Iran as a challenge to the panel of 15:

"The test is quite straight forward. The Iranian nuclear weapons program constitutes a threat to international peace and security. It is the Security Council's responsibility under the charter of the United Nations to deal with threats to international peace and security and to make sure the threat doesn't become a reality," Bolton said.

"We're confronted with a threat here as Iran pursues not only nuclear weapons but increasing capability to longer range and more accurate ballistic missiles to develop those on targets in the region and the broader world that is obviously very, very dangerous," he said. "So we have a responsibility in the council to try and deal with that threat and that's my definition of the test."

Western nuclear experts have said Iran has produced its Sahab3 ballistic missile, which can deliver a payload over 900 miles away to cover the Persian Gulf region, is working on Sahab4 with an even greater distance and payload and is developing Sahab5, which can deliver a 1,700 pound payload to China, Russia and Western Europe.

One such expert earlier this week told United Press International, "There is absolutely no rational to develop ballistic missiles without a nuclear potential."

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